Houndkirk Latest

Houndkirk Road has been a bone of contention for some time and it’s great to be able to report some good news at last.  Ride Sheffield recently received the specification for work on the old byway for the next couple of years and it’s clear that a more minimalist approach is being planned. 

 Areas of bedrock and cobblestones are no longer to be buried under tonnes of aggregate but the big change is that the width of the road is no longer going to be restricted with the use of boulders.  Those already installed will remain but the consensus seems to be that restricting the width of the lane has in fact increased the likelihood of conflict between users.  I spoke to Sam Beaton of the Sheffield City Council Rights of Way Team and he assured me that the intention is to repair where absolutely necessary without affecting the essential nature of the route.

A number of mountain bikers, horse riders and walkers have complained about motorcycles travelling at speed in close proximity to other users.  It is important that if this happens, those affected immediately contact the police – if we make an issue of this kind of behaviour the police may eventually be forced to do something about it.  I’m not suggesting that all trail riders act in this way and in fact I’ve had a number of friendly conversations with motorcyclists most of whom abhor this kind of dangerous behaviour.